Window cleaning device



une 13, 1950 N, KENNEDY 2,511,346

WINDOW CLEANING DEVICE Filed June 10, 1946 Patented June 13, 1950 U N ITEEED .S TATES R rem oral- 6 Claims.

This invention relates to window cleaning devices and more particularly to that type of window. cleaning device by which the operator while remaining inside can clean and dry the outside of a window.

A common disadvantageof window cleaning devices heretofore-known to the art was thatthe water or moisture removed by these devices ran down the window and wet or soiledthe window sill below. It is an object of my invention to associate in combinationwith the cleaning element of acleaning device a drain bywhich moisture removed from the window and which runs downthe blade of the devicecan bedrained off in such a manner thatitdoes not wet or soil the window sill, as, for example, by draining it into a container.

Another object of my invention is to provide a window cleaning devicewhichcan be economically manufactured and whereby: an entire window pane can be cleaned ordried in one motion of the device.

It is a further object of my invention to so construct a window cleaningdevicethat it can be used on Windows of 7 various lengths toclean the windows in one lateral motion without the necessity of the device being specially adjusted for the various size windows.

Other and further objects of the present invention will vbe apparent fromithe following description and claimsand are illustrated in the accompanying drawing which, by way of illustration, shows apreferred embodiment andlthe principlesthereof-and What I=nowconsider to bathe best mode inwhich I haveecontemplated applyin those principles. I Other embodiments ofthe invention embodyingthe same or..equivalent principles I may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by'those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention and the purview of l the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is aside elevational-viewof my device showing the drain therefor in section;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 2-'2 of-Fig- 1; and

Fig; 3 is a perspectiveview showingimy device as it may be usedto -cleanthelowe pane ofa window.

The window cleaning device -I O-shown inv the accompanying drawings embodies a substantially L-shaped handle -I l-having a vertical armor hand grip I2 and a horizontalarm 13 substantially perpendicular thereto. A supporting arm or shaft id'is attached 'to thef-ree end of-the arm l3 of the handle l- I byanysuitable means such as nuts I5.and 16 screwed on to the end of a threaded portion llof the supporting shaft l4. As best shown in- Fig. 2, a portion of the supportingshaftorarm 14 is channel shaped having sides-l8 and-l9 and-has areduced portion Ma which, as will lee-explained more fully hereinafter, can-be operated between-the window pane ofa lowerwindow and the lower rail of an upper window sash. A flexible cleaning blade or squeegee 20, which may bemadeof any suitable material such-as, for examplarubber or synthetic rubber, is. attached to --the arm ld by insertion of one edgeportion thereof between the sides 18 and) v which are crimped as at 2! to firmly holdthe cleaning bladeLZll' in such a position that aportion zz thereof. extends outwardly from one edge 23 ofthe supporting 'arm 14. -The cleaning blade orsqueegee has a flexible end portion 24 protruding or. extending fromthe end 2501 the-supporting am. Hi. The purpose of the protruding end-24 of. the flexible cleaning blade 20, aswi1l be. explained. more fully hereinafter, is

,. to provide a cleaning device. that will automatically adjust itself 1 for. the cleaning of windows of sizes which varywithin certain limits.

Admin 28 is. attached vtothe lower. end of the shaft. llby suitablemeanssuch as aw-ire 21 having .a looped end encircling the lower. end of the shaft 1.14 -and heldsecurely in engagement with thelower surface. of the. arm l3, by, the nut HLendhaving the lower end extending through the. drain 26;and securely attached theretoby suitablev means such as soldering or welding, or (as shown in Fig. 1) by upset portions ,28 and 29 of;l 7he wire 21 itself.

The p ipherali dses of, .t dr 1. xten outwardly sufiiciently beyond theoutline of, the horizontal ,a m.-;.. 3.a .1 .-;tl e. s ppo tin a m- M so that inyilhe,OD IEUZ QILO m dev c a Wa or moisture which runs; downtheblade 2i! and supporting. arms] 4,,wi11 run into; the drain 26. The drain:26 may. beof any suitable shape su h as. i 7 ex p a l r ha ed dr .-.a i ust in; Eie: 3 a should-be. tilte lcpg t di direction: so that oistu een ine. sa d-drain .w exit through one end thereof such as, for examp e-edi ed; forward y do n, as sho in F 1,. sov :that. .;the.-.:. q s urew l-ex thr g th front p rtionihereo win the operation of, ;my device the lower wind wtmay be. ra ed; s ight an th iqut r surface or the; window -pane therefl moistened by any suitable-means. "ljhesupporting member [4 is then slipped outwardly through the window and is extended vertically along the window pane with the protruding end 24 of the squeegee 2i! and reduced portion Ma. of the supporting member I4 extending between the window pane of the lower Window and the lower rail of the top sash substantially as shown in Fig. 3. It is obvious that by grasping the arm 12 of the handle H to control the movement of my device that the squeegee 2!) may be pressed tightly against the window pane and manipulated laterally thereover to remove the moisture therefrom, and that by starting from one edge of the window pane this may be accomplished in one lateral motion of the device. Moisture running down the blade and supporting arm I4 will flow into the drain 26 and can be controllably emptied therefrom such as into a container 30 shown in Fig. 3 as resting on the sill of the window and which can be moved along with the device. However, it will be noted that the container 30 is not an element of my invention and other types of containers may be used without departing from my invention, and that it is also possible, where water may be drained out the window without creating a nuisance, that by tilting the drain 26 rearwardly down instead of forwardly down as shown in the accompanying drawings water may be drained out the window and permitted to fall freely therefrom and the use of a container, such as the container 30, may be dispensed with.

It will be noted that it is not necessary, in order to efliciently clean a window pane with one lateral motion of my device, that the win dow pane be exactl the same length as the overall length of the cleaning blade. It is sufficient that the window pane be of a size within certain limits, namely, that it not be longer than the overall length of the cleaning blade 14 nor shorter than the length to which the blade l4 will adjust itself by the bending of the flexible protruding section 2 3. An example of this is illustrated in Fig. 3 where I have shown the length of the window pane to be somewhat shorter than the overall length of the squeegee 2B, and it will be noted that the end of the protruding end portion 24 is contacted by the lower edge of the upper rail of the lower sash and the end portion 2a is offset thereby while still retaining good wiping contact with the window pane. Because of the protruding end portion 24, it will be seen that my device will efficiently clean in one motion window panes of the same length as, or considerably shorter than, the squeegee 20.

In the cleaning of the outside of an upper window the upper window pane is first drawn down substantially in alignment with the lower window pane and the outer surface of the upper window pane is then moistened by any suitable means and the window cleaning device I0 is extended out through the window and so positioned that the arm l4 and the handle I l straddle both the upper and lower window panes and it can then be manipulated as previously set forth with respect to the cleaning of the lower window pane.

Hence, while I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that this is capable of variation and modification and I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth, but desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fall within the purview of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A window cleaning device comprising a supporting shaft, a cleaning blade attached to said shaft, a handle attached to the lower portion of said shaft, and a drain attached to the lower end of said shaft and positioned to receive drainage from said shaft.

2. A window cleaning device comprising a supporting arm, cleaning means secured along one edge of said arm, a substantially L-shaped handle attached to the lower portion of said arm, and a drain attached to the lower end of said arm and having lateral edges which extend laterally outwardly beyond said handle, said drain being adapted to receive drainage from said arm and said handle.

3. A Window cleaning device comprising a supporting arm, a cleaning blade having one edge portion rigidly attached to said supporting arm and another edge portion flexibly extending from a lateral edge of said arm, said cleaning blade also having a bendable flexible end portion extending from the end of said arm, and a handle attached to said arm.

4. A window cleaning device comprising a supporting arm, a cleaning blade having one edge portion rigidly attached to said supporting arm and another edge portion flexibly extending from a lateral edge of said arm, said cleaning blade also having a bendable flexible end portion extending from the end of said arm, a handle attached to said arm, and a drain supported by and positioned below said arm to receive drainage from said cleaning blade and said arm.

5. A window cleaning device comprising the combination of a supporting arm having a substantially channel shaped longitudinal portion, a handle having a hand grip and an arm substantially perpendicular to said hand grip, said handle being attached to the lower end of said supporting arm at one end of said arm so that said hand grip is spaced from and substantially parallel to said supporting arm, a cleaning blade attached to said supporting arm and having one edge portion positioned within said channel shaped portion and another edge portion flexibly extending beyond a longitudinal edge of said channel shaped portion of said supporting arm, said cleaning blade also having an end portion flexibly protruding from an end of said channel shaped portion of said supporting arm, and a substantially U-shaped elongated drain attached to said supporting arm and positioned below said supporting arm and said arm of said handle, the lateral edges of said drain extending beyond the lateral edges of said arm of said handle and said drain being tilted downwardly in a longitudinal direction.

6. A window cleaning device comprising a supporting arm having a channel-shaped portion, an elongated one-piece cleaning blade having one longitudinal edge portion fixedly secured in said channel-shaped portion, said blade being resilient and having another longitudinal edge portion flexibly projecting from a longitudinal edge of said channel shaped portion of said arm, said cleaning blade having one end projecting from one end of said arm, the whole of said end of said blade being bendable and flexible relative to said arm, and a handle attached to said arm for moving said blade across a window to be cleaned.

NELLIE KENNEDY.

(References on following page) REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Sanford Jan. 12, 1886 Number 

